Eisenhower Matrix Board: Prioritize Tasks in a Planner
An Eisenhower Matrix board gives every task a quadrant, so deciding what comes first is as simple as moving a card. If urgent requests keep crowding out the work that matters, this two-minute video shows how to build the matrix in the planner in Planfix and prioritize tasks by urgency and importance with drag and drop.
What you’ll learn: how to set up an Eisenhower Matrix in a planner
- What the four Eisenhower Matrix quadrants mean and what to do with the tasks in each one.
- How the finished board works: new tasks land in the backlog, and you sort them by dragging them between lists (0:30).
- How to set a priority by hand inside the task.
- How to add a task priority field with values that match the matrix categories (0:48).
- How to create the planner, a backlog list for unranked tasks and one list per quadrant.
How to set up an Eisenhower Matrix board in Planfix, step by step
Step 1. Add a priority field to the task object
Open the object card for the tasks you want to organize in the matrix and add a field that defines each task’s priority. For regular Planfix tasks, go to Account Management → Types of objects → Task → Custom fields. This is how custom task priorities work in Planfix: every quadrant is one of the field’s values. For background, see how object cards and custom fields work.
Step 2. Add values that match the matrix categories
Choose the List field type and name the field; the video calls it task priority. Set the display to Buttons, which shows the values in the task as clickable, tag-like buttons. Then add one value per category, for example:
- Important and urgent;
- Important and not urgent;
- Not important and urgent;
- Not important and not urgent.
Save the settings.
Step 3. Create a planner and the backlog list
Create a planner for working with the method: open the Planner tab, click the Add icon at the bottom of the planner panel, choose Planner and enter a name. Then add the first list, of the Cards type (planner columns are called lists). It serves as the backlog for all tasks.
Step 4. Show only unranked tasks in the backlog
In the list settings, set the name and color. Set up the filters (selection parameters) so that only unranked tasks appear in this list, such as a condition that the priority field is empty. In the card display settings, keep only the fields you need to rank a task, then save.
Step 5. Copy the backlog into four quadrant lists
To create the next list quickly, copy the backlog. Open the copy’s settings, change its name and color, and in the selection parameters pick the required value of the priority field, for example, Important and urgent. Repeat for the remaining quadrants. The result works like an Eisenhower Matrix Kanban board: a backlog plus four lists you drag cards between.
Example: sorting new tasks on the board
In the video’s demo, new tasks have no priority, so they start in the backlog. To rank one, drag it into a quadrant list. A task moved to another list takes on that list’s selection parameters, so dropping it into the Important and urgent list sets that value in its priority field. Drag it to another quadrant later, and the value changes again.
For more on the method, and another setup that builds the quadrants with Favorites rather than a priority field, see How to Prioritize Tasks with the Planfix Eisenhower Matrix. On this board, each list tells you what to do:
- Do (important and urgent): complete these right away.
- Schedule (important, not urgent): these support your goals but don’t need to be rushed.
- Delegate (not important, urgent): these distract you from high-priority work and can often be handed off.
- Drop (not important, not urgent): these take time without adding much value.
Who an Eisenhower Matrix board is for
Drag and drop task prioritization helps anyone whose task list mixes last-minute requests with long-term work:
- Team leads: apply the method to the team’s workflow, so everyone sees what needs doing now and what can wait.
- Individual employees: manage your own Eisenhower Matrix in the planner as a personal priority list.
- Anyone with a busy intake: new tasks without a priority wait in the backlog until someone ranks them.
FAQ
Can I set a task’s priority without dragging it?
Yes. Open the task and select the appropriate value in its priority field. Since each quadrant list selects tasks by one value, the task then shows up in the matching quadrant.
Can I create a task directly in a quadrant?
Yes. Type a name in the list’s quick task creation field and press Enter. The new task gets the list’s selection parameters, so it is created with that quadrant’s priority value.
Can the four quadrants form a 2×2 grid?
Yes, as in the video’s demo. Planner lists can be arranged one below another in a single column, so two columns with two lists each give you the classic square. Each list header can have its own color, which helps tell the quadrants apart.
Build your own Eisenhower Matrix board
Start with one priority field and a backlog, then copy the backlog into four quadrants. Planfix task management software supports several priority systems, from a simple “1-2-3” method to your own approach, and the Eisenhower Matrix is one of them. New to Planfix? Sign up to try it.
This video was featured in What’s New in Planfix: April 2026.
